Jason Miller (NBAE/Getty)
by Keith Langlois
Web Editor
There is no greater opportunity for the type of disconnect between the front office and the basketball court that led Tom Gores to hire one man for two jobs than the NBA draft.
There might not be a perfect model yet devised for operating a professional sports franchise, but Gores came to understand the potential benefits of integrating the coaching and front office staffs as he absorbed NBA culture over his first three seasons as Pistons owner.
When a coaching search led him to Stan Van Gundy, it didn't take him long to conclude he'd found the ideal candidate to not just fill both roles but to make it work.